


Repeat

by Bhelryss



Series: fefemslashweek2018 [1]
Category: Fire Emblem: The Sacred Stones
Genre: F/F, fefemslash week day 1: fate, kind of just like reliving memories, time loop-ish
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-15
Updated: 2018-07-15
Packaged: 2019-06-10 23:22:25
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,446
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15302307
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Bhelryss/pseuds/Bhelryss
Summary: FeFemslashweek July Day 1: FateSelena goes to work, steps out to take a walk, and relives the day she met Vanessa, the day they had their first date, and finally, the morning before she went to work.





	Repeat

“I’ve got to go,” Selena whispered, leaning over her sleeping wife to whisper her goodbye. She did this every morning she had duty, leaving an hour before Vanessa even got up. It made sense, given that her duties as a general required a good deal more of her time than Vanessa’s own position as a brigadier general. Vanessa, half-awake and enjoying the lazy morning far more than she would have if she’d woken up alone, turned her face to allow for an easier goodbye kiss.

“I’ll miss you,” Selena promised, as she did every morning.

“Miss you,” Vanessa echoed, bangs falling into her half-closed eyes as she reached out to brush her fingers across the back of Selena’s hand. “Remember, dinner tonight. Don’t be late,” she ordered sleepily, a smile on her face. 

“I would never miss our date,” Selena promised, bitter-sweetly glad all over again that the Grado’s ruling council had found her scars and her hard-won recovery uncomfortable to be reminded of, because it had allowed her to be assigned to this far-flung Gradoan fort. It was worth the extra hours she needed to take to ensure her work made it to the Capitol on time, if it meant she could spend more time with Vanessa.

But eventually, she needed to tear herself away from gentle, sleepy kisses and loose and contented smiles. Selena’s work needed her in a way that Vanessa understood and approved of, given her own career in Frelia’s military. It was part of what had brought them together, and their working together had brought them  _ together _ . Thinking of their first meeting, Vanessa new to her position, and Selena introducing herself to the neighboring fort’s commander, Selena sighed over her paperwork. If she’d only known how a fledgeling friendship would grow, oh she would gladly do everything over again, just for the chance to fall in love with Vanessa’s smile for the first time, one more time.

Standing up to stretch, Selena sighed again. She needed to walk around for a bit, to get rid of the ache between her shoulders caused by all her sitting. Rolling her shoulders, Selena followed it up by bringing her elbows as far back as she could manage, exhaling at the sensation. Stretching these days always seem to take more and more work, she wasn’t getting any younger and it was starting to show.

Still, after bending around, Selena stepped through her doorway with intent to walk around the walls (pretending to inspect the upkeep of the wooden posts, the doors, the stonework, when really she was just going stir-crazy in her office), and found herself coming to a halt. The soldier standing outside her office, technically on honor guard duty, was very different from the man she’d seen only a few hours previously. 

“General!” she greeted, smile bright. “Out for your inspection?” Selena hummed agreement, and the guard fell in behind her as they walked. “In preparation for the visit from the commander of the Frelian fort, yeah?” The woman asked, filling Selena’s confused silence with an easy chatter. The memories were slowly slotting into place, as she walked around the fort, nearly forgotten memories of ugly, harmless graffiti in tiny corners (once upon a time she had allowed it, as long as it was cleaned up before the fort needed to be in perfect condition, for a visit from another general, a member of the ruling council, or a delegate, etc, but after a few years it had gotten out of control, and she’d started assigning unfortunate duties to those who thought she might be lenient if it was less ugly, or funnier) confusing her. 

“Of course,” Selena said with a frown, as she looked at the long nosed cartoon man peeking cleverly painted onto a set of staggered walls. “Wasn’t this supposed to have been cleaned up?” She said mildly, sliding her gaze to the soldier beside her. “We have a meeting today don’t we?” (Oh, yes. This had been the turning point in her graffiti policy, hadn’t it?) Maybe she’d fallen asleep at her desk, instead of getting up to shake out the stiffness in her shoulders. 

“Oh!” The face of her soldier went bright red, as she looked around for someone to, blame? Maybe. Someone to order to clean, probably. “Yes, General Fluorspar, it should have been. But don’t worry, I’ll get someone to clean it up right away!!” And off she darted, though if Selena were inclined to listen, she could hear raised voices from a distance. 

Though...if she remembered correctly, it wouldn’t be cleaned in time for Vanessa’s, then a shiny, brand new Brigadier General, visit. Oh, how she’d grimaced about it after, and set her fort to punishing drills. But it had given her an ice breaker with Vanessa, hadn’t it? They’d laughed at it for a couple years, before it had dimmed in their memories. Nostalgic, Selena traced her pointer finger around the dried paint with a dreamy smile, her only thought being of Vanessa’s laugh.

Of course then her soldier was back, with a young man with a sheepish, nervous smile. The boy was holding a bucket and a scratchy cloth, soapy water steaming gently. “Borrowed some from the cook,” her soldier explained, “He was about to start dishes, but was willing to lend us some for the sake of our fort’s reputation.”

“Good job,” Selena praised, and then turned a disappointed stare to the young man. “Clean that up, quickly, and then see me after the visit ends. I believe you shall find you have duties to attend to for the next two weeks.” Then she turned back to the walls ahead of her, and sighed. “I will be inspecting the rest of the fort until our Frelian officer comes calling.” 

Vanessa strode into the Gradoan fort in her dressiest uniform. It makes Selena beam, because that’s her  _ wife _ , younger of course and still subtly itchy-uncomfortable with her rank, but that’s her wife!! It was so heartwarming to see all the ways Vanessa would stay the same. She obviously still paid detailed attention to shining her armor, probably had done it all last night, nervous and trying to rub confidence into the bright white of her painted dress armor. 

She didn’t pull at her high collar, though Selena knew from experience that Vanessa hated the way it itched up underneath her chin. The standard teal coat over darker teal pants, and the liberal usage of the appropriately bright pink accents marked her as an official representative of the state, using national colors as the loudest declaration possible, which had always brought out the brightest green highlights of her hair. 

Selena always loved the severe way Vanessa braided her hair up for formal occasions, partly because after they’d started dating, Selena had suddenly come into possession of the honor of brushing out that long hair, and braiding it first, before Vanessa coiled it and pinned it place at the back of her head. Seeing the familiar hairdo on this younger Vanessa (and wasn’t that a thought! Why, she must be younger herself, in this odd dream.) instantly made her fond, and it propelled her forward from her position at the head of an honor guard in a manner much more familiar than she’d had the first time. “Hello, Brigadier General Peche, is that right?” 

Vanessa blushed, and oh, she’d somehow forgotten that Vanessa had looked up to her as some sort of hero. That star-struck look was almost unfamiliar, and it cooled Selena’s excitement to something milder than a wife’s love for her spouse. “Yes, General Fluorspar.” Vanessa confirmed, dipping her head in greeting, even though they had already shaken hands. “I’ve come on behalf of the Frelian outpost across the border, in the hopes of fostering a stronger bond between our nations along this border.”

Oh right, she’d nearly forgotten, in all her excitement to see Vanessa. “Of course,” Selena responded, already missing the press of their hands. It had been too brief, and Selena was suddenly homesick for her wife. This was too different, though this Vanessa’s smile was the same as her wife’s. Pushing past that though, Selena offered Vanessa her arm, “Shall I show you around the fort? I imagine the structures are much the same, but perhaps a tour anyway, before our meeting. If it would please you, we might have our meeting over a meal? I find it makes business go much more pleasantly.”

“Oh, that’s very kind, I would love to!” Vanessa agreed, professional smile melting into the more genuine one that set Selena’s heart aflutter. She took Selena’s arm, and off they went. 

Selena went to sleep, in this odd dream, with a happy heart only burdened by missing Vanessa’s place beside her. And then she woke up, and found the world around her had changed again. The calendar beside her bed had a red date circled, careful handwriting declaring it as a “date!!” Checking it over and over with a mounting wonder, Selena held the calendar in both hands and felt her heart beat fast.

Her first date with Vanessa. A year and a half into their friendship, after Vanessa had fallen into an ease with her position, no longer shiny with inexperience, but confident in her ability to do the job. And their relationship, by this point, had eased. There hadn’t been stars in Vanessa’s eyes for a while. Perhaps they’d gone when Selena had first snorted, laughing too hard at a joke that caught her off guard, or perhaps they had faded naturally. Familiarity made her human, in a way that her reputation did not.

But here they were. Their first date! Oh, Selena remembered it well. It had happened in a little restaurant in the border town, or had it been a bar? The food hadn’t been fancy, and the rain had made the walk to the bar, restaurant nearly unbearable, but the dinner had been hearty, and the company had been  _ wonderful _ . She might not remember the venue, but she remembered  _ that _ .

It did not start out a lovely evening. First, it had rained horribly, which she  _ barely _ remembered happening, and Selena had gotten caught in the rain. Her dress shirt had been drenched, leaving her uncomfortable, and her tailored trousers and her nice shoes had both gained a healthy coating of mud. She remembered this, but she knew this would turn around. The bar was nice and warm, and Vanessa had taken one look at Selena, drenched as she was, and had immediately removed her nice cardigan and offered it. “You look cold,” Vanessa said, smiling despite the miserable look Selena was sure she was sporting. 

“Well, maybe a little,” Selena answered, turning her lingering frown into a sheepish smile. “The rain sure brought a chill with it,” she remarked easily, waiting for the way that Vanessa’s face would light up. Her sense of humor had taken a while to pin down, but once Selena had gotten it, making Vanessa smile, and making her laugh had become one of Selena’s favorite things to do. 

And there it was! The smile that she’d learned to look for. Laughter in her eyes and the ghost of a dimple sparkling at the corners of a delighted smile. “I’m sure it did,” Vanessa said, “One might be surprised at how cold a thorough drenching could be.” And paused, to watch Selena smile in turn. Well, she remembered that too, didn’t she. Vanessa’s smile, and the way she offered Selena her arm, and the way they sat across from each other at the table. Selena had been nervous, the first time, unsure of herself. She’d been married to her career for so long, she hadn’t been sure she was going to be any good at dating. 

Knowing that she had been, would be? fine after this date, and many more dates to come, allowed Selena to fully enjoy reliving this first date of theirs.

She laughed too hard at a joke she’d heard a hundred times, and her laugh turned into a snort. She knocked her water glass over by accident, and soaked Vanessa’s dress, and Vanessa laughed it off. “We match this way,” she insisted, dabbing at the sodden spot across her abdomen with a couple of napkins. Gods above and below, they’d had such an awkward first date, hadn’t they?

But still, she left the restaurant with a soft red cardigan stretched across her broader shoulders, and the tingling memory of a kiss against her cheek. She fell into her bed after, dry and comfortable and nostalgic about an event that just occurred, and wondered where she would be when she woke up.

Her answer was easily recognized enough. Beside her wife, long green hair still splayed out against her pillow. The window still looked out on a world still shrouded by the dark, but the lighter purple at the horizon suggested it was nearly dawn. Carefully, she slowly sat up, looked at their bedside tables, and noted the simple rings placed carefully on the wooden top. Beside her wife, right where she belonged. It was an exhale of relief, glad to be in the reality she loved.

After shrugging out of her sleepwear and stepping into her clothes for the day, Selena only returned to her bed to sit at the edge and pull on her boots. Vanessa inhaled and exhaled loudly before she rolled over, hand grasping for Selena’s. “Morning,” she whispered, voice rough with sleep. “Work already?” 

“Yeah,” Selena answered, taking a long moment to hold Vanessa’s hand. “Never stops, you know.” Vanessa smiles sleepily, and rolls back over to doze a little longer. Getting back to her feet, Selena makes herself comfortable in the kitchen. Breakfast is easy, simple, and once she’s finished getting ready, Selena quietly walks back into the bedroom.

“I’ve got to go,” Selena whispered, knowing Vanessa wasn’t truly asleep any longer. Her morning routine, as always. “I’ll miss you every minute,” she promised, reaching out to brush some of Vanessa’s bangs out of her eyes. 

“Miss you,” Vanessa echoed, turning her face to press a goodbye kiss to Selena’s lips. “Be good at work,” she ordered softly. Selena ran her thumb pad over the lukewarm metal of her wedding ring, smiling down at Vanessa with love overflowing from her heart and dripping down her arms to where her other hand gently held Vanessa’s.

“Of course,” Selena promised.

“Don’t forget,” Vanessa said finally, before Selena could pull away and head out the door. “Our dinner tonight.”

“I would never miss it,” she promised, bringing Vanessa’s hand up to kiss her knuckles. “I’ll be home in time.


End file.
